Meta expands Instagram AI age checks worldwide

Meta said on Nov. 9 it would expand Instagram’s AI age-estimation technology globally, moving millions more teens into Teen Account protections. Reuters reported the announcement, which includes users whose account birth dates indicate they are adults.

The change extends a system Meta had already introduced in the United States, European Union and Brazil, The Verge reported. Its account of the system says Instagram looks for signals that may indicate a user is under 18 and automatically places those it identifies as 13 to 17 into Teen Accounts.

• Meta says the global expansion will bring millions more teens into Teen Account protections, even when their listed birthdays show an adult age.
• Teen Accounts are private by default, limit what content teens can see and restrict direct messages from strangers.
• Meta has begun using Apple’s age-range signal in Australia as an additional way to help determine users’ ages.

How Instagram Teen Accounts work

9to5Mac reported that Meta had said in May it would use AI-powered age estimation to help block users under 13 and place users aged 13 to 17 in limited accounts. The current expansion described by Reuters and The Verge concerns identifying teens and placing them in Teen Accounts; The Verge says the under-13 process is separate.

What Instagram’s age checks mean for parents

Parents in the United States are expected to receive Instagram notices explaining age estimation and teen protections, but the reported schedule conflicts. Reuters said notifications would begin during November, and 9to5Mac reported a November in-feed video for parents. The Verge put the notification start in the following month and said it would explain how parents can ensure a teen’s age is accurately reflected.

The rollout comes as Meta faces lawsuits alleging its platforms harm teens. Reuters reported that in August the company reached settlements worth up to $18 billion with nearly every US state and territory in cases brought by attorneys general; the agreements included improving how Meta identifies teens and children under 13. Reuters also reported that Meta settled with a teen plaintiff in a Los Angeles trial the previous month. The trial tested claims that Instagram and Facebook were designed to be addictive and caused mental-health problems and an eating disorder.

Meta has not given a country-by-country rollout schedule or system accuracy figures in the reported details. The conflicting accounts leave the US parent-notification timing unresolved.